'We are Hindutvawadi, but we are not..': Sena asks Fadnavis for seeking votes in the name of Balasaheb Thackeray

In response to Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis appeal to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in order to safeguard the values of late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, the Sena said on Tuesday that it is a supporter of Hindutva but not a "slave" of the BJP.

"Fadnavis and other leaders have cherished Balasaheb's dream. But when they broke with the Shiv Sena in 2014, these people had forgotten about Balasaheb. They didn't even recall Balasaheb when they broke their promise to grant the Shiv Sena the office of chief minister in 2019... the only truth is that they want to undermine the solidarity of the Marathi manoos in Mumbai, which is why they want to wound the Shiv Sena",  said an editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana.

“We are pro-Hindutva. We are not the slaves of the BJP. We are the honest servants of the BJP, not the servants of (the BJP leadership in) Delhi,” it warned.

It went on to say that Thackeray senior's ambition would be to defeat the Shiv Sena rebels led by chief minister Eknath Shinde and the BJP.

"why are you seeking votes in the name of Balasaheb?" Is your Modi era (and) the Modi wave over? These individuals aim to defeat the Shiv Sena in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, and they are using Balasaheb's name to do so. "They want a BJP nominee who has gained favor with the powers that be in Delhi, the mayor of Mumbai, and the Shinde camp agrees," the editorial said.

The Shiv Sena claimed that the BJP and the Shinde camp have agreed to divide Mumbai and Thane. "Once again, deceit is on while using the name Balasaheb," the editorial added.

Sena MLA Eknath Shinde and 39 other legislators rebelled against the party leadership in June, resulting in the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government.

Shinde was then sworn in as the chief minister on June 30 along with BJP leader Fadnavis as his deputy.